Wolverines

A crisis on the border exists. The new immigrants are not assimiliating peacefully into the native culture, and a tempest is brewing. No, we're not down on the Mexican border with the Minutemen. Rather, the crisis exists on the mythical border Penn State crossed when it emigrated to the Big Ten in 1993. After Saturday, a full-fledged rebellion is brewing.

Nittany Lion fans are livid over an official's decision to put two additional seconds on the clock during Michigan's final drive. The last play, on which Chad Henne fired the touchdown pass that doomed Penn State's hopes of a national crown, started with one tick remaining. Joe Paterno called the added time "baloney" and said he was given no reason for the decision. To Penn State fans, this call is just the latest in what they perceive as a long list of grievances, against their new conference. Talking to Penn State fans, one realizes they can recite the Litany of Big Ten Woe, with the same rhythmic fervor that Catholics recite the Litany of the Sacred Heart. In 2002, Paterno had several celebrated run-ins with the officials, while his team lost three heartbreaking games. In 1994, when Penn State & Nebraska were both unbeaten and vying for #1, I am told that Lion fans honestly expected their new conference to work out an arrangement where State would not have to fulfill its Rose Bowl commitment, and instead figure out a way to let them play the Huskers. (Recall, the current BCS format, that guarantees #1 vs. #2 was not in place until 1998). To make matters worse, when the votes came out, Big Ten Country went overwhelmingly for Nebraska as the national champion. Whereas in 1997, it was Michigan and Nebraska who were unbeaten and unable to play...and the Wolverines carried their home region to a share of the national crown. At the bottom of Penn State's Litany of Woe is the simple question--has the change to the Big Ten been beneficial for them? The mindset of Lion Nation appears to be decidedly "no". Are they right?

The negatives of Penn State's twelve-year affiliation are legitimate. When the Lions were added to the conference, they got brought added exposure for the conference in eastern markets. Schools like Wisconsin, Iowa and Purdue were now being seen more frequently by prospects in the Philadelphia area, which includes talent-rich New Jersey. And it was into the Garden State that Wisconsin went for '99 Heisman winner Ron Dayne. This is merely the most prominent example of the raiding of turf that Penn State once owned. What did the Lions get in return? Access to players in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin? Hardly reason to get excited. Players in Chicago? If PSU's basketball team was any good, it might help, but there's nothing to help Joe Paterno in the Windy City. Clearly, this was a one-sided trade in favor of the Big Ten.

But on the positive side for State's Big Ten ties, do any of their diehards honestly believe they could still hack it is an independent? Joining a conference would have been foolish in the 1970s, or even the 1980s when the Notre Dame, Penn State, Miami, Florida State, and an occassional interloper like a Pitt or West Virginia owned college football. Those days are gone, and TV contracts and access to bowl games is dependent on conference affiliation. If Penn State is riding high, they don't need a conference to get these advantages. But in the age of scholarship limits and increasing parity, what about the years when they are down? Big Ten schools, due to their collective bargaining power have virtually every conference game on television. That's a natural built-in cushion, enabling schools to still recruit, even when the wins are a little sparse. Who's to say the Lions would have garnered any of their celebrated freshmen if their recent 3-9 teams hadn't been on TV all the time. If Penn State went independent--or even took the less-drastic step joining the Big East, do they really think their bad teams of the past five years would have gotten on TV? Bad Big East teams and independents don't get on the tube. Either that, or there's been a flood of Rutgers and Navy games all over their airwaves that I've just happened to miss.

Even Notre Dame is having an increasingly difficult time hacking it is an independent. The Irish can get their own TV deal with NBC, but it has come at a price. Notre Dame cannot schedule it's way to a national title. Network execs aren't going to look well upon paying for seven or eight games against Vanderbilts and Tulsas of the world, just to get a couple signature games each year. And that was the sort of scheduling strategy the Lions used throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Even in the unlikely event they could broker their own independent television contract--and it's hard to imagine it being much more then a regionalized East Coast deal--they would have to load the schedule up to the point that legitimate competition for a national title would be virtually impossible. And it's that coveted goal that has Lion fans up in arms in the first place.

Let me say here first and foremost, I like Penn State and respect Joe Paterno greatly. Growing up in Wisconsin, following a then-awful Badger team, the Nittany Lions and the Irish were the teams I rooted for to win national championships. I still recall dancing about my living room when Pete Giftopolous picked off Vinny Testaverde to seal the stunning upset in the '86 Fiesta Bowl, and my first college football memory at age eight is virtually sobbing when Alabama stuffed them on the goal line in the 1978 Sugar Bowl. So I do not mean hostility to Lion Nation, when I say this--get over it, and get into reality. You need the Big Ten more then it needs you. If the Lions left today, the conference would still thunder on, still get televison contracts, and still lock up 6-7 bowl bids a year for its members. As for Penn State--they might survive. They might go to the Big East, dominate it, and be able to have their cake and eat it too, when it comes to bowl-game access along a with a national-title friendly schedule. But it also might blow up in their face. It is Penn State with something to lose, not the Big Ten.

In an ideal world, Penn State would persuade Notre Dame to join them in Big East football, and the move could work out. But that's a subject for another time. As to the current subject, let Lion fans be aware that we don't live an ideal world--and there's nothing wrong with shooting for a Big Ten crown as a legitimate secondary objective, while they continue to try and rebuild to glory.

When Mario Manningham hauled in Chad Henne's last-play touchdown to beat Penn State, Ann Arbor wasn't the only Big Ten locale with reason to celebrate. The Lions' fall from the ranks of the unbeaten meant the conference race burst wide open. Wisconsin, by virtue of its own stunning finish against Minnesota moved into a tie with PSU at 3-1. As did Iowa, who took care of Indiana. Ohio State and Northwestern are tied with all three in the loss column, at 2-1.

This alone would make the conference race a free-for-all in the next five weeks. But consider this--there is at least a reasonable chance that none of the five one-loss teams will win out. Penn State still has a visit to Michigan State. Wisconsin still comes to State College. Ohio State's season-ending battle with Michigan is in Ann Arbor. Iowa comes to Madison, and in either case, I believe the Hawks league record is more a fruit of getting both Illinois and Indiana early in the conference slate. Everyone would be shocked if Northwestern doesn't lose at least more then once. Thus, a pair of two-loss teams--Michigan & Michigan State still have an excellent chance of getting a piece of championship hardware in a multi-team 6-2 free-for-all.

What does this mean for the conference's BCS bid? The tiebreaker scenario would obviously have to wait until we have a better grasp on who the last ones standing would be, but at least for the time being, fans can start paying attention to their favorite team's non-conference opponents, as a major bowl bid may come down to who has the higher BCS ranking. Ohio State can keep cheering Texas on to Pasadena. Michigan "lost" when Matt Leinhart stole a win in South Bend with three seconds left. Wisconsin can be heartened by seeing Bowling Green atop its division in the MAC. Penn State fans--cheer on South Florida, suddenly a contender in the watered-down Big East. And ultimately it means the race for bowl slots may not be settled on November 19--the Badgers go to Hawaii the following week, and if the race boils down to power rankings, this game will matter.

What does it all boil down to? As long as you're not Illinois or Purdue, you've got a shot.

Well, maybe not all Hart. There was a little Henne and Breaston mixed in. But it was all heart for the Michigan Wolverines. Penn State had just taken a 25-21 lead, aided considerably by a shaky pass interference call that appeared to have handed them a gift victory with under a minute to play. Then Steve Breaston ran the kickoff out to near midfield. Chad Henne, facing increasing skepticism about his ability to handle big situations, coolly lead the Wolverines into position. The U-M offensive line came up big on the final drive, consistenly preventing a four-man Lion rush from getting any pressure. And with one second left, Henne delivered the winning touchdown strike. Penn State fell from the ranks of the unbeaten. Michigan--again--kept its conference title hopes alive.

Jim Tressel recalls the 1993 Division I-AA playoffs. His Youngstown State team took on John L. Smith's Idaho squad. Tressel won that one in the bitter cold. But that day twelve years ago, could look positively balmy if the the Buckeyes lose to Smith's Michigan State team on Saturday. This is a signature game for both schools. Michigan State needs atonement for its home loss to Michigan, and winning in Columbus would have them pointed to a season-ending home date with Penn State for possible conference honors. Ohio State desperately needs a win after falling to the Nittany Lions. If Tressel loses this one--to an offense more creative then his own--expect the foot soldiers of Buckeye Nation to be in rebellion against their commander by Sunday.

It isn't often a 3-3 team has to assure the college football community that it really is taking their 6-0 opponent seriously. Such is the case at Michigan though, where the message boards still don't believe eighth-ranked Penn State is for real, as they visit Ann Arbor. Lloyd Carr, victim of a few too many unhappy post-game handshakes, sees it differently. The Wolverines respect the first-place Lions, and Carr's crew can rejuvenate their season with a win. Michigan still has a shot at a piece of the conference title, with a modest amount of help down the stretch. More importantly, beating Penn State would help retain their image as the bully on the Big Ten block.

No one would have expected the '05 version of the Wisconsin offensive line to be among Barry Alvarez's best. But then no one expected Alvarez's last offensive unit to blow the scoreboard lights ou. The line must be doing something right, writes Jeff Potrykus of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. And the players that have emerged are set as a stable group for the season's final six games.

While Wisconsin is doing their best to send Barry out as a winner, Indiana has continued to struggle as a Big Ten bottom dweller. But both schools are Top Ten quality when it comes to "spirits" and havving a good time as reported by SI.com

Twilight Zone Quote: "Oh we didn't win best party school because they don't allow professionals," or "We would have won that drinking contest but they banned Badgers from participating."

Coming into last Saturday, the biggest game was the Michigan-MSU showdown. It probably still is, but looking back no team raised more eyebrows nationwide then Penn State. Playing a Minnesota team considered by many to have a dark-horse shot at the conference, the Nittany Lions pummeled the Gophers, on the way to a 44-14 triumph. Penn State is now 5-0, with games against Ohio State and Michigan up next.

The two upcoming games will tell the story, but I believe the early indicators point to the authenticity of this Lion resurgence. Their opening day win over South Florida looks more impressive in retrospect. The defense is loaded with experience, and the offense has real playmakers in its freshmen wide receivers. Michael Robinson can be expected to show continued improvement. The Penn State staff visited Austin, TX in the offseason, seeking advice on how to use Robinson the way the second-ranked Longhorns use Vince Young. 78 points in the first two conference games are the fruit of that pilgrimage.

Penn State has won just three conference games the last two years, which is the reason for skepticism. However, they continued to play outstanding defense throughout the dry spell and most losses were close. This always was the kind of team, that once it clicked even a little bit offensively, the improvement in the W-L column would be dramatic. Such improvement has arrived. Penn State will be at home under the lights on Saturday night against Ohio State. A win there, and they vault to the favorite's role in the Big Ten. The following week, they roll into Michigan. If Joe Paterno pulls off the victory there, it's time for PSU fans to utter the words they've been longing to say without being laughed at--"national championship contender."

Penn State hammered Minnesota by thirty points, and returned to the Top 25. Their coming home game against Ohio State is slated for prime time. It will be the first time ever these two historic programs have squared off under the lights. And why not? As unbelievable as it would have sounded in August, a Lion win sets them up for a shot at the Big Ten crown--and maybe more.

Notre Dame was impressive on Saturday night, thumping Purdue right in West Lafayette. The Irish are looking golden again. The Boilermakers are showing those who tabbed them for grandeur, may not have been thinking clearly--but fret not, Purdue fans, Joe Tiller is vowing changes.

Wisconsin wide receiver Brandon Williams was with the last Badger team that visited Northwestern, in 2003. UW turned in a clunker, losing 16-7 and letting a promising season slip away. This Saturday, Wisconsin brings a 5-0 record to Evanston, and Williams knows history cannot be allowed to repeat itself.

From Terry Hutchens at The Indianapolis Star--IU coach Terry Hoeppner said he was reviewing film from the Nicholls State game at home when his wife, Jane, entered the room. After watching a short run by Sean Taylor in the middle of the field, Jane asked, "Why didn't he cut back on that play?""That's a good question," Hoeppner said. "I think I'll ask him."

It all started with Michigan State, writes John Heuser of The Ann-Arbor News. Michigan's defense was Swiss cheese in last year's game with their in-state rivals. Though the Wolverines outgunned the Spartans in overtime, the defense never recovered. UM's unit was exposed badly at Ohio State and nearly lost the Rose Bowl bid. When a Wisconsin loss that same afternoon still got them to Pasadena, Michigan's defense was immediately riddled by Texas on January 1. This year hasn't gone much better. Lloyd Carr has about twenty-seven hours from the time of this post to fix the problem, or he is staring at a lost season.

The head-coaching wanna-bes in Iowa, rather then blame themselves for overrating a team with a youthful defensive line, are starting to come out in force as the Hawks struggle early. But Iowa's players aren't getting down on themselves. Kirk Ferentz's team hosts Illinois tomorrow, with a chance to even its conference record, and the program is looking inside, not outside for answers.

There are many things that irk Michigan fans about the fresh success of their in-state rivals, writes Mitch Albom of The Detroit Free-Press. But even worse than the 4-0 record may be this: Drew Stanton, the Spartans' young stud quarterback, is now the biggest football star in the state

From Jeff Rice of State College.com--"Two teams in Division I-A have turned the ball over 13 times through the first four weeks of the season -- 1-3 Louisiana-Monroe and 4-0 Penn State. The Nittany Lions know they'll have to be more careful with the football to survive the remainder of their Big Ten schedule, so they're addressing the issue as much as they can during practice and trying to pinpoint the factors that led to those 13 giveaways."

This year's game will be in West Lafayette, so they won't have Touchdown Jesus watching over them. But that won't stop redemption from being on the minds of Notre Dame and Purdue. The Irish are doing penance for a 41-16 pounding they took in South Bend last year. The Boilermakers need atonement for last week's loss at Minnesota, one that bears alarming resemblance to a 2004 loss against Wisconsin that started their downhill slide. If Purdue is going to restore themselves to good graces, they will need pressure on Brady Quinn.

Though Michigan's slow start can be more attributed to injuries then the quarterback, it hasn't stopped the rumblings of dissent from being directed at sophomore quarterback Chad Henne. Lloyd Carr moved quickly to squelch any controversy--"I don't think I can make this any more clear: I have great confidence in Chad Henne,'' Carr said, shooting down the first question on Henne's status as starter.

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz would like to see quarterback Drew Tate control his temper better than he did for one brief moment during Iowa's 31-6 loss to Ohio State, writes Andy Hamilton at The Iowa Press Citizen. The junior spiked the football in frustration Saturday after getting sacked in the third quarter. The Hawkeyes were penalized five yards for delay of game and nearly knocked out of field goal range

Michigan State can roll up big numbers on offense. So can Michigan. Last year, when they met in Ann Arbor, they rolled up a combined eighty-two points, as the Spartans dropped a heartbreaker in overtime. When they play in East Lansing on Saturday, no one doubts points will be scored. Who can find defense remains the question, writes Joe Rexrode of The Lansing State Journal

...is what Glenn Mason is reminding his team. Minnesota got a badly needed win over Purdue on Saturday, but travels to State College on Saturday. Both the Gophers and Penn State are 4-0, and both have something to prove. Minnesota faces the same challenge Michigan State did a week ago--to show they can string together successive quality efforts and finally have a big year. Penn State has taken care of business thus far, but with Ohio State around the corner, the Lions cannot let a home game slip if they are return to bowl-game status.

Indiana football has had only two high points since Bill Mallory's firing in 1996. To the chagrin of Wisconsin fans, both of them have come against the Badgers. In 2001, IU traveled to Madison and hung a shocking 63-32 win on the home team. The following season the Hoosiers stunned UW with a rally from a nineteen-point fourth quarter deficit in Bloomington. On Saturday they will hook up in Camp Randall for the first time since '02. Could danger be lurking again for the Barry Alvarez's team? Wisconsin is coming off an emotional win. Indiana is coming off a bye week. Badger quarterback John Stocco knows he needs to play better and take some pressure off Brian Calhoun. Indiana has gotten good quarterback play from Blake Powers against non-descript competition, but needs a consistent ground game behind Sean Taylor to have a chance at another upset.

This year's race for the Heisman Trophy is shaping up more as a coronation of USC quarterback Matt Leinart, then a real competition. But four other players will get invitations to New York, and should the Trojans somehow falter, one of them will be in a position to step into the breach. While the likeliest candidate is Texas signal caller Vince Young, the Big Ten is not without its share of deserving hopeful. Three players in particular, have distinguished themselves early, and deserve more press attention--

Drew Stanton, Michigan State--The hot quarterback for the hot team. After hanging 44 points on the board in South Bend against a defense which has otherwise played well, Stanton followed it up by firing five TD passes at Illinois on Saturday. Stanton needs a big game Saturday against Michigan, but if the Spartans win six or seven conference games, he is in position to at least win conference MVP honors.

Brian Calhoun, Wisconsin--The shifty little running back has put the Badger offense on his shoulders and carried them. After big non-conference games against Bowling Green and North Carolina, Calhoun rang up over 150 all-purpose yards in Saturday's upset of Michigan, getting most of them at crunch time for a national TV audience. The remaining concern with Calhoun was pointed out by ESPN's Chris Fowler--how much can his body go through this fall? He's not particularly big, and the 40-50 touches a game he's getting will be tough to sustain through the conference schedule. Wisconsin will have to find a way to ease the pressure on their emerging star.

Laurence Maroney, Minnesota-- Maroney rolled up over 200 yards rushing against Purdue on Saturday, and played well in non-conference action. Like Stanton, he has marquee games ahead of him to put his name in the hands of reporters. He would be greatly helped by his team winning a few more games like the one they did on Saturday and at least staying in contention for conference honors until November. As it stands right now, there is a great deal of skepticism toward anything related to Gopher football. Maroney can start to change that if he led his team to a win at Penn State this Saturday.

If you look at the state of Michigan on a map it would appear nothing has changed. But in reality, the dynamics of daily sports life have been thrown off kilter the past three weeks. The Wolverines are unranked. The Spartans are undefeated and sport the looks of a contender. Drew Sharp of the The Detroit Free Pressmakes note of this unexpected turn of events--"It's a good thing that the Tigers remain such a reliable model of underachieving consistency and the Lions remain, well, the Lions, or else this unforeseen realignment of cosmic forces would send everyone in this state scurrying to the nearest available bunker as a sign Armageddon is fast approaching."

Barry Alvarez's three Rose Bowl champions went just 1-2 against Michigan. The last time he beat the Wolverines, the Democrats still controlled Congress. The Badger legend was winless in six tries against Lloyd Carr. Years of frustration were wiped clean yesterday, in a thrilling 23-20 triumph. Regardless of what happens during the rest of Alvarez's farewell tour, Saturday's win was something to savor, writes Michael Hunt of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

All week long Michigan State faced the question--would a big Spartan win be followed by dumping a winnable game? The question was answered with authority yesterday in Champaign. Drew Stanton rifled five touchdown passes, and MSU destroyed Illinois 61-14. With the injury problems going on in Ann Arbor, East Lansing is now home to the best team in the state of Michigan. There was no letdown yesterday. Not this time.

Minnesota's Laurence Maroney rumbled for 217 yards yesterday and Minnesota rallied to beat Purdue 42-35 in double overtime. Maroney kept his name on the short list of conference MVP candidates, and the Gophers gave themselves a chance at a breakthrough season. Purdue was tabbed by many to a win a title. Instead of an opening road win, they find themselves questioning why their defense can't hold a lead in tight games.

The Big Ten's newest member, Penn State, may be struggling to recapture old times, but the conference's first cousin, Notre Dame, looks to be waking up the echoes again. The Irish went to Seattle and soundly whipped Washington 36-17. There was a great sigh of relief emitting from South Bend, as "the Ty Bowl" is now behind them.

Penn State went 2-6 in the Big Ten a year ago. The 2002 season was their last winning campaign. Yesterday, they turned in a stirring comeback performance against Northwestern. Trailing 23-7, having made mistakes most of the afternoon, Michael Robinson engineered a last-minute drive to beat the Wildcats on the road 34-29. One would think State College would be in ecstasy over a crucical road victory in the conference. But, perhaps still living in years gone by, Centre Daily.com's Steve Smith can only grudgingly say "A win's a win."

Folks, nothing surpises me anymore. But is it surprising these people are taken seriously. Big Ten fans may or may not know that the locker rooms at Kinnick stadium are pink. Apparently it was a ploy by Hayden Fry to get into the minds of opponents when they came to play the Hawkeyes. So now some Howard Dean loving professor is all up in arms. Apparently she went to the NCCA conference on how to find offesnive items in college sports.

However in an effort to have a more open mind I am going to join her protest and add to it. Not only should the pink locker rooms go but so should the blue turf field on Boise State. Yep, the color blue on a playiing surface is very demeaning to player of schools where water is a problem. Schools in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida and now Texas have all recently been effected by hurricanes. Therefore playing on a surface that looks like a body of water could be highly offensive. The displaced citizens of New Orleans did not want to get on cruise ships because they were on water. Why shold players affected by hurricanes, flood, or drownings be forced to play on a blue field.

Let's get crackin folks, there is so much injustice in our beloved game and it needs to be cleaned up. In fact I think schools should no longer schedule to play the University of Iowa or Boise State Univeristy. While we are at it I bet those fancy purple uniforms of Northwestern could also be offensive to homosexuals not to mention Hawaii's Rainbow Warrior name (they are still arguing over that one) and for goodness sakes Wisconsin paint over that baby blue locker room. Really, why would you want to offend boy babies? STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT NOW!

When you are at your next football game forgo your team's normal cheer and get the crowd going on "Hey Hey HO HO these girly colors have got to go!"

The Last Hurrah was once the title of a Spencer Tracy movie, about a beloved Irish politician, making his last campaign. If Tracy were to do a re-make today, he might well choose Barry Alvarez as his subject. The man who built Wisconsin from nothing into a three-time Rose Bowl champ begins his last Big Ten hurrah on Saturday against Michigan (5 PM CST, ESPN2).

Iowa's last trip to Columbus saw a 19-10 defeat, in which special teams was the difference. The presence of Santonio Holmes and Ted Ginn in the OSU return game, has Kirk Ferentz's team concerned '05 might be more of the same.

In 2003 Purdue kicker Ben Jones enjoyed an outstanding sophomore season. Last year, he struggled. Boilermaker fans took heart from a 47-yard boot Jones nailed last weekend at Arizona State. It was the first mental hurdle Jones had to clear, if he is to regain form.

Well it's about time. Being a Penn State fan my whole life I have never (and still don't) feel comfortable in the Big Ten. So in 1993 I was a part of the "3 yards and a cloud of dust conference. But what's the big deal, off tackle running plays goes with JoePa just like peanut butter blends with jelly. However, Nittany Nation has loved the 40 yard bomb as much as the toss sweep. While Penn State is opening up the offense for the first time since 1994 other Big Ten schools and a few more have jumped on the bandwagon.

For the first time since becoming a Big Ten fan I no longer need be jelous of the SEC although my fellow Bugle writer Dan Flaherty is going to be living on Pepto-Bismal while the Big Ten goes air borne.

Bugle Blow: New chants for the Big Ten this season are "Hail to the long ball" and "WE ARE! PASS HAPPY!

Braylon Edwards did it all for Michigan last year. But as the Wolverines prepare for their Big Ten opener at Wisconsin, John Heuser of The Ann-Arbor News reports the team is still trying to find his replacement.